Lacock Abbey
Monday July 4
Dearest Henry
You were very good indeed to remember my request about hearing of your safe arrival as soon as possible You never were so very good before, & deserve quantities of thanks for it Pray take every possible care of yourself & do not overexert by walking or anything else, for the heat this morning is quite tremendous Yesterday & Saturday were not nearly so hot as Friday (the day you went away) but today the power of the Sun is very great, with scarcely a breath of air to moderate his heats Ela <1> felt so tired with it yesterday, that she actually dropt asleep in my arms when I was carrying her in the garden at Cliffords <2> church-time. She is to leave off her cap today in consideration of the heat for it is useless to wait till all her teeth are come through; & after rubbing her head with brandy as a precautionary measure, we think there can be no fear of catching cold. I shall also desire that she shall be kept out of draughts & currents of air The dear child is continually asking for you & it is in vain that I endeavour to explain to her the nature of absence She knows that you must be somewhere, & she thinks that by wandering about the house looking for you, she shall certainly find you at last She played as usual in your Library yesterday; pulling down the books &c &c and she was very much disappointed on finding that you had locked the door of the little inner room; & thus put a stop to her diversion of walking up & down the steps. I have been arranging with her to send a message to Papa, to which she gave her assent thus. Shall I send Elas love to Papa? Ta & say she want to know how he is? Ta & say that Ela is quite well? Ta I could not help laughing at the apparent sense of her answers, which were as appropriate as if she had understood every word wh I said. Do bring with you a little Rose pomatum to make her hair curl; & a very wee pot of Pomade-divine to cure the bruises which she must inevitably receive on her first attempts at walking alone Also please to bring for me a very thick pair of gloves for gardening in you know exactly what they ought to be for that purpose so thick that neither dust nor moisture may penetrate them. If you should see Dr Lindley <3> I hope you will ask him about employing Miss Cotton as a flower-painter premising of course that the subject has never been mentioned to her & that you do not know whether she would like the employment I do not think she has any knowledge of Botany, but she copies faithfully whatever she sees in her subject On Wednesday I propose to send you a packet through Mr Strangways <4> containing two letters to be franked so if you do not receive them in reasonable time on Thursday, I recommend you to send to his house for them, lest they should be lost I have had a very nice letter today from Southampton one page of it written by dear Marian <5> herself with a pencil she can manage to write a little occasionally without leaving her Sofa this hot weather seems to agree with her probably by promoting a more regular circulation of the blood, for at the time that I was with her she suffered extremely from torpor, & numbness in her limbs Today they were to go over to Ryde by the Steamer, but propose to remain there only a few days I hope, if they find that Marian derives benefit from the change, that they will not hurry back again quite so soon. They still entertain the idea of being in Town at or about the expiration of the 3 weeks which they mentioned in the last letter, & which would be a fortnight from this time I have the very greatest comfort in thinking that Marian is now really making progress she was out in the carriage three times last week & enjoyed the air extremely.
What a charming family party you must have formed on Saturday! I should really have liked to have been one of the happy number Poor Fitzsimmons <6> was woefully cast down-cast on Friday evening after your conversation with him; & when I met him in the greenhouse he poured forth many expressions of devotedness to your interests, & of readiness to depart the moment you gave the word I was rather amazed at his energetic manner, & thought he was a little beside himself however he said nothing but what was perfectly natural & proper, & we ended by laying out a new flower bed in my garden in the shape of a star with six points, to contain Pelargoniums &c &c
I am very glad to hear that Horatia <7> is better my love to her
Here is a long Letter in reply to your short one Pray write to me again when you have time & remember ta to add my new commissions to your list I am very fearful that you should come to harm by galopping [sic] in the heat of the Sun promise me not to do so
Yr affecte
Constance
Henry Fox Talbot Esqre
31. Sackville Street
London
Notes:
1. Ela Theresa Talbot (18351893), WHFTs 1st daughter.
2. Ladys maid and nurse.
3. Prof John Lindley (17991865), botanist.
4. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (17951865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.
5. Her sister, Marian Gilder, nιe Mundy (1806 14 October 1860); m. 6 August 1844 William Troward Gilder (d. 1871), Army Surgeon (ret).
6. Cornelius Fitzsimmons, Scottish gardener at Lacock Abbey.
7. Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, nιe Feilding (18101851), WHFTs half-sister.